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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · cap · ground · march · land · pitcher · board · firm

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. firm — decided
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. march — the month
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — magic
  10. firm — steady
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — a lid
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — a company
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com